This invention pertains to apparatus for stressing body muscles for the purpose of exercise and improving physical fitness.
Persons who are engaged in a serious fitness improvement program usually require several pieces of apparatus to stress all of the major muscles in the body and develop them to peak condition. An exercise schedule typically involves rowing, pullovers, shrugs, bench presses, lateral raises, rear and front deltoid raises, reverse arm raises, bicep curls, tricep extensions, squats, calf raises and crossovers. Professionals and serious amateurs usually use apparatus of the type in which there are stacks of weights that can be selectively connected to a carrier which is lifted upwardly in guides mounted in an upright frame that stands on the floor and allows the user to lift the weights by imposing a tensile force on the cable in a cable and pulley system.
Usually several pieces of apparatus based on weights that are lifted through a cable and pulley system are required to exercise and develop the major muscles of the body. For example, one exercise is to do crossovers. Conventional apparatus for crossovers requires two rather distantly spaced apart upright weight guiding frames. Each of the frames stands on the floor and they are tied together at their upper ends by laterally extending members. The structure may also be clamped to a wall. In the crossover routine, the exerciser will grip the handle that is pendulating on the end portion of the weight lifting cable associated with each of the frames. Initially, the arms are extended to the left and right, respectively, and the weights are almost bottomed out. Then the exerciser will concurrently or consecutively swing his or her right arm across the front of the body for the right hand to end up on the left side and swing the left arm across the front of the body for the left hand to end up on the right side. This routine is used, for example, to exercise and strengthen the deltoid muscles. Another machine might be kept on hand to do latissimus dorsi (lat) pulldowns. Still another machine that is specialized for such exercises as standing and sitting rowing routines may be required. A review of the catalogs of fitness equipment manufacturers will reveal the availability of a wide variety of exercise apparatus each of which is somewhat specialized for doing a limited number of exercise routines.
Exercise and physical fitness improvement equipment is often set up in a room or in the basement of a residential dwelling where space is at a premium. It is not only necessary to find space for the individual pieces of apparatus but it is also necessary to allow some space between the apparatus so that the space problem encountered by a serious physical fitness improver can become critical.